South Florida Teams

DAVE HYDE

Grumble, Then Crumble

April 18, 1994|DAVE HYDE Staff Columnist

CHOKE CITY — The Heat has taken its seat at the table, muttering as it does, walking by shoulder pads and moving around hockey sticks and pushing past the other South Florida names grumbling around it.

"We didn't get it done," Don Shula grumbles.

"We couldn't win one," Roger Neilson grumbles.

"Same script as before," Kevin Loughery grumbled Sunday after the Heat's 110-103 loss to New Jersey in Miami Arena that certified the season has gone from slide to free-fall.

It doesn't just fit South Florida teams this sports year. It's custom-made, coming in three choker styles - the Dolphins, the Panthers and now the Heat.

Sunday, there wasn't a Heat player who could get down a glass of water, much less a jump shot when it counted. In the second half, the goat-to guys - Steve Smith, Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice - were a combined 1-for-15 shooting.

But then it's hard to put up a good shot when one hand is around your throat, which it is for the Heat now in its playoff collapse, just as it was earlier for the Dolphins and Panthers.

I used to cover sports.

Now I cover funerals.

Swoon over Miami

Let's face it, the last time a city gave America such entertaining collapses Charlton Heston was pulling out survivors. The Dolphins went from an NFL-best 9-2 to losing their last five. Missed the playoffs.

The Panthers went from certain to be the first expansion team to make the playoffs to not winning in eight games down the stretch. Missed the playoffs.

Now it's the Heat's turn. When Nets coach Chuck Daly said his team "started to smell it in the fourth quarter," it wasn't clear if he meant the victory or the Heat.

The Heat turned a 77-64 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter into an 84-83 deficit at the end of the quarter. So of course the Nets smelled it. Everyone in Miami Arena did.

And they've been smelling it for a while now because the Heat has lost five straight. We're past the point of checking for heart on this team. We're checking for a pulse.

It needs two wins to guarantee a playoff spot. The sure thing is Tuesday at home against a nothing Minnesota team. This is as sure a win as a must-win gets.

In other words, if you don't think the Heat will be lucky to get out alive, you haven't been paying attention to our teams this sports year. "It's not something you like to be associated with," Shula mutters.

"It's not what we wanted," Neilson mutters.

"It's up to us," Loughery mutters.

Alive - for now

That's the scariest part. It has been up to the Heat for weeks now. It has turned from everyone wondering how high a playoff spot it would get, to how low a playoff spot it would get, to how in the world it can blow the playoff spot.

Charlotte won Sunday without center Alonzo Mourning, which sounds impressive until you realize the Heat played without everyone in the fourth quarter but Bimbo Coles.

He was the only one who wanted to shoot. A reserve guard. The smallest man on team. But Coles made three field goals, which was one more than the rest of the players combined.

Meanwhile, the Nets' Kenny Anderson took over the game like stars should, which is a lesson for the Heat. And the Dolphins. And unfortunately the Panthers, too.

"This left a bad taste," Shula grumbled.

"It's not how you like to end," Neilson grumbled.

"We've got three games left, and if we win two we're still alive," Loughery said.